This year Santa decided to bring me and Gabe the flu. :( Gabe got it on the night of December 22nd and then felt better on the 23rd. Then he passed it on to me. I was throwing up all night on the 23rd. So then on Christmas Eve morning, Josh and the kids went to his parent's house without me to celebrate Christmas with their brunch. They were gone until about 5:00 Christmas Eve and I slept probably until about 4:00 then woke up and watched "Christmas Vacation" by myself in bed. I was pretty exciting! Luckily, no one else got sick and we were able to have Christmas day barf free.

Gabe was flooded with Legos this Christmas. It is his new favorite thing. Santa brought him a giant bag full of various legos. Other grandmas also bought him lots of lego stuff too. He should be busy for a while! Caleb got some Iron Man toys, some Batman and Spiderman toys, some walkie talkies, and a big Hot Wheels wall track from Santa. Avery mostly just got clothes! Josh and I are saving for some new furniture so we didn't really buy much else except for some cologne and shoes and a purse and a big box of chocolate from the boys to me! (Caleb has eaten half of it... haha)

We just stayed home all day on Christmas and relaxed. The boys took forever to open their presents because they had to stop for thirty minutes after opening each thing ad play with it. Except for the clothes. Caleb actually opened one pair of jeans just enough to see the material and said, "It's clothes," and didn't even unwrap the rest, just gave it to me! Nice, huh?

The day after Christmas we went sledding at the sand dunes. We even got Avery all bundled up and pulled her around on a sled. She is such a good sport. Caleb got a little snowboard from Brad and Diane that he was learning to use. Gabe was having fun on his new saucer sled.

So that's all our Christmas fun! Now our tree is already down and it's onto the New Year!

This was such a cute thing that Gabe's first grade did at his school. On Friday, December 21st, they had planned this big "Who-Ville" party for all four first grade classes in the school gym. They had decorations, games, watched "The Grinch", and had "Who-pudding" (pistachio). It was so fun! How do I know this you ask? Because I was there too! Our whole family went and joined in actually!

Being December 21st, it was apparently also the scheduled last day of the world. With everything that has been happening lately, and now all this hoopla about the world ending, there have been a lot of stupid threats made at various schools and things. I guess in Idaho Falls, the bigger town about 20 miles away, they had stationed a police officer at every school to just make sure things stayed safe. However, in Rexburg, the city hadn't specifically planned for that. They really don't even have enough officers on duty ever at one time to put one in every school (we're pretty small town here...) But some parents had called Josh wondering if there was going to be an extra security at the elementary school our kids go to and the answer was going to be no, but... then Josh decided that even though it was supposed to be his first day off this week, he would put on his police shirt and stuff and hang out there.

So he took Gabe to school at 8:00 and stayed there, talked to the principal for a little while, let everyone know he was there just in case, and then went and hung out at the Who-Party in the gym. Me, Caleb, and Avery went at about 9:30 and stayed until it ended at 11:30. Caleb just joined in on all the activities (he totally could pass for a first grader so being that there were 4 different classes there I don't even think the kids noticed him) and all the teachers said they were so glad Josh was there and it made every one feel a little less stressed about the day. Luckily the day passed completely uneventfully!

In the afternoon I went home and Gabe stayed until school ended at 2:30 and had his individual class party where they made us some super secret presents he said. I'm glad we didn't keep him home from school like some of our friends did with their kids. He would've missed out on so much Christmas fun! I much prefer sending his dad to b his bodyguard instead! haha. Guess I am lucky he can do that!

Here are some pictures of the Who-party. The funniest picture is of Gabe and this little girl, Eliza. Her mom had put a cup on her head and styled her hair up in a high pony-tail so she looked like Cindy Lou-Who. Then they had this station where one kid would sit on a little scooter and the other kid would pull them like they were on a sleigh and the puller would wear these antlers on his head to look like the Grinch's dog in the movie! So cute! At one point though, Gabe got a little out of control as the sled dog and took a corner fast and sharp and sent little Cindy Lou-Who flying off her scooter into the Christmas tree. It was classic. Luckily they both just laughed. I wish I would've had a video camera. Ah, kids. So fun.

Here is Avery's official 5-month post!

Weight: 17 lbs, 14 oz

Height: 28 inches

Clothing size: going into 9 months, a few 6 month things still fit her barely

Sleeping habits: bath before bedtime, wrap her up in her nearly too small swaddler blankie (I am going to have to MAKE her a new one since they don't sell a bigger size!!! I am stressing out about this!) then she will sleep usually from about 9:00 to 7 am, but sometimes she does wake up once, usually around 4 am to 6 am. If she does this, she eats a little bottle, then goes back to sleep until 7 or 8 am. She LOVES music. Wrap her up, turn on her music, and give her a pacifier for a minute, and she's OUT.

Diet: Still just bottles! We have tried giving her rice cereal twice and plan to try again soon. She was pretty stubborn about clenching her mouth shut though! Hopefully she will eat it soon because I think it would help her sleep through the night better again if she would be really full before bed.

Personality: A sweetie pie! She is starting to figure out though that she likes attention. Sometimes I will lay her down in the living room and start to do something in the kitchen and she will just start yelling at me. Not even crying, just general squawks and squeals like, "Hello! Come get me!!!" Then as soon as I go over and smile at her she smiles back really big like, "Oh good, you heard me. Now pick me up!" The boys can keep her very entertained, especially Caleb. He had her full out laughing the other day when he was pushing her around in her walker.

Tricks: She does nothing really at this point. She can sit up in her Bumbo chair but not on her own. I did, however, put her on her tummy just today and she instantly rolled onto her back! I was so surprised! Then I tried to get her to do it again for the next half hour and she wouldn't. Haha, maybe it was just beginner's luck!

Here are some pictures of our little sweetie!

Caleb was trying to convince me to let him drink soda one day.
I said: "No Caleb, too much soda is bad for you."
He responded with: "No it's not! Dad said it makes you STRONG!"
Me: "No way! When did he say that?"
Caleb: "He was drinking soda yesterday and I heard him say, 'That is some strong stuff!!!"

In preschool Caleb is learning both Spanish and sign language. One day Caleb holds up his hand in the "I love you" sign, with pinky and pointer fingers up and says, "This means GOOD right?" I (knowing it meant I love you) said, "Yup that it really nice!" Then Caleb holds up his middle finger by itself and goes, "And this means BAD!" Oh boy. Where did he learn THAT????

I was singing, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with Caleb. He was still trying to learn all the words. I kept singing at the end, "Life is But a Dream!" and he wasn't getting it and he kept singing, "Life is JUST a dream..." but I kept repeating it the right way. Then he finally sings, "Life is just a butt dream....!" So close.

We were having a discussion about food one day and the boys were eating corn with their meal. Caleb asks: "Which animal poops out corn???"
Me: "No animals poop out corn. It grows from the ground. The only time an animal poops out corn is if an animal has eaten corn.We don't eat animal poop."
Caleb: "Well chickens poop out eggs and we eat them."
Me: "Kind of, but it's different."
Caleb: "And cows poop out milk and we drink it."
Me: "Well...no, it's not exactly their poop."
Caleb: "And pigs poop bacon right???"
Me: "No, no, pigs ARE bacon. We are eating the pig. Does that sound disgusting?"
Caleb: (shrugs) "It's very yummy though!!!"

Guess after all that potentially scarring conversation, he really doesn't care what he's eating as long as it tastes good.

Also, funny side note, I found Caleb one day playing spies by himself and talking about, "Enter the secret code to get in the door," then he would press "buttons" on something and flip it closed and jump around like he was a spy entering a room. He would even talk into this device like a walkie talkie. I was wondering what cool toy had him so occupied. Upon closer inspection I realized, it was a package of my birth control pills.

Well it's been about a month because now Avery is already 5 months!!! Time is going to fast. My little baby girl is getting so big. I will have to take her and weigh her tomorrow for her official 5 month stats.

But lots of other things to blog about!

Thanksgiving was great. We went to Josh's parent's house for lunch. I made my favorite pecaned yams and then also some secret family recipe chocolate pie.(Josh's sisters were joking, "Is this like the special chocolate pie from the movie The Help???" haha. No.) I made two to take and two to leave at home. We had them all gone within the next few days. This year was the first in a while that I have NOT gone out shopping on Black Friday! I placed an order online at Kohl's at midnight and went to bed. It was much easier. Then we went out the next day and bought a Christmas tree (from a gas station that was about 1/2 mile away... we were feeling lazy this year) and spent the day decorating the tree and the house.

Then the next week, we all drove down to Salt Lake City and spent Thursday night there, seeing the lights at temple square, so Avery and I could fly out to Wisconsin early Friday morning. I get a stomach ache just thinking about the stress I had about flying this time (I don't know why but I think I get more freaked out now than I ever have) but Avery was perfect as usual (seriously, that probably sounds annoying but she is honestly sooo good!) Even people on th plane were like, "She is such a good baby! Not even a peep!" It was great.

So Wisconsin was good. We did a lot of shopping and eating - two of my favorite things. We were there from Friday until Wednesday so it went by fast, but it was a good visit for just us girls. Hopefully the first of many mommy/daughter trips! :)

When we got back to Idaho, the next couple weeks of December were filled with more Christmas preparations. Gabe had his Christmas program at school last week and he sang, "Here comes Santa Claus" with his class. It was very cute. They did lots of actions. Caleb was in his preschool class at the time but they brought the preschool kids down and sat them in front on the floor so Caleb had a front row seat! (Josh, Avery, and I were closer to the back). It's crazy to think that while we were there at about 1:00 pm such a horrific tragedy was just finishing occuring across the country in Connecticut. I can not believe this nation is turning into a place where you can't even send your kids to elementary school without worrying they might get shot and killed. It's horrible. I don't know what the solution is except for to teach your kids to be the best people they can be and to love God and one another because every day might be your last. So unbelievably sad.

But I will try to finish this blog before I get too depressed again and cry!

Caleb hs had so many funny little moments I need to just write every one down on here because they make me laugh. Gabe is getting so grown up and mature. He helps me a lot - when he wants to - and is really excited to get more legos for Christmas this year. Josh recently went to Gabe's class last Tuesday and did a presentation with Truck (the dog) and the kids loved it. He had some kids hide drug-scented towels in the classroom in file cabinets and backpacks and then ad Truck go sniff them out. It was fun to watch. And Miss Avery is just our same old sweet little girl. We got her a walker off craigslist that she sits in and the boys puch her around and she laughs away. She is so quick to smile at just about anyone and has been more vocal lately, discovering how to blow raspberries and making different singing sounds to amuse herself. She's also discovering her hands and sometimes she'll just look like she's in a trance staring at them and slowing forming fists and moving her fingers. It's funnny. I love that she has so much hair. I can put bows in her hair now without even needing the headband to attach them too. She still has the smoky blue eyes, maybe they will change, maybe not.

So that is all the news I can think of! We're excited to almost have Christmas here! Now for all the pictures... The one of me with the bear is at the Idaho Falls Museum. They had a gingerbread house exibit we took the fam to. Then there's also baking sugar cookies, temple square, our Wisconsin visit, Josh's K-9 presentation with Gabe's class, and my latest couponing haul for those interested (probably just me) But for my own record keeping, I spent $28.01, retail was over $95. 43 items (4 things not pictured), average of 65 cents each. Yay for coupons!

Avery turned 4 months old yesterday! Here are her stats!:

Height: 27 inches (the nurse even rechecked it because she was only 24 inches at her 2 month appt and she thought maybe she measured wrong... nope)
Weight: 16 lbs 7 oz

For her height she is over the 100th percentile. For her weight she is 95th. For her head size she is like 60th (little head!) The doctor said she is the biggest tallest baby he's seen in a long time. I am trying to picture her as a supermodel in 20 years and not a WNBA star. :)

She is not rolling or anything yet. She smiles and laughs at pretty much anyone who looks at her. She likes her new little bumbo chair we got her and still likes to be wrapped up at night. She still sleeps all night from about 8:30 to 7:30 am. She is the best baby I have ever seen. Even the doctor (as he checked her ears, eyes, etc. and she just laughed and smiled away) was like, "She is pretty easy going huh?) I just hope she stays this easy forever!

Now, just for fun, here are Gabe and Caleb's stats:

Gabe:
Height: 50.5 inches
Weight: 60 lbs
Shoe size: 1
Size: 7x or 8
Age: 6 years, 8 months

Caleb: Height: 45 inches
Weight: 56 pounds (4 less than Gabe!)
Shoe size: 13
Size: 6
Age: 4 years, 5  months

When Gabe and Caleb held their feet up to each other's tonight, Caleb's was seriously practically the same size. Maybe only a cm less. He is definitely a big boy. Gabe is tall for his class too but when Caleb comes out of his preschool in a little line with all the other kids, it is like, "What is that 1st grader doing with the preschool kids?"

Here are some cute Avery pics and some of the boys:

I also wanted to brag about my latest coupon adventure. I am definitely not going to win any awards from the extreme coupon ladies who save like, 97 percent on each purchase, but I am still pretty happy. We go through crackers like crazy at this house, so that was something I wanted to stock up on. I ended up spending about $43 and the retail price before coupons that I added up from my receipts was over $150. I got 53 items, so an average of $.84 per item. Some of the items I didn't even have coupons for, I just needed them for Thanksgiving and they were on a good sale. This is what I got:

3 Mayonnaise (Best Foods/Hellman's) (about $1.50 each!)
4 12-pks of Dr. Pepper ($1 per box!)
3 Cool-whip (for my Thanksgiving pies)
5 Powerades (for our 72 hr kits)
12 boxes of crackers (Club, Ritz, Cheez-its) (about $1 each!)
8 cans of Cream of Chicken or Mushroom soup (.29 cents each!)
5 Cans Swanson chicken broth
5 bottles of soy sauce (.39 cents each!)
6 Pasta Roni's
2 Kraft Ranch dressings (.99 cents each!)



I probably at this point have not lowered my monthly grocery bill, but I am getting a TON more for my money and for my food storage, which was my goal. So it's going good! Even though I might be turning a little crazy about saving money! I actually think it's kind of fun to sit down with the ad and my coupons and do the math to figure out which deals are the best. Am I a nerd? Yes.